Basic Approaches to Leadership

Bob StretchSouthwestern College

Robbins & Judge

Organizational Behavior13th Edition

Basic Approaches to LeadershipBasic Approaches to Leadership

12-1© 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter Learning ObjectivesChapter Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:– Define leadership and contrast leadership and management.

– Summarize the conclusions of trait theories.

– Identify the central tenets and main limitations of behavioral theories.

– Assess contingency theories of leadership by their level of support.

– Contrast the interactive theories (path-goal and leader-member exchange).

– Identify the situational variables in the leader-participation model.

– Show how U.S. managers might need to adjust their leadership approaches in Brazil, France, Egypt, and China.

© 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 12-2

What Is Leadership?What Is Leadership?

Leadership– The ability to influence a group

toward the achievement of goals

Management– Use of authority inherent in

designated formal rank to obtain compliance from organizational members

Both are necessary for organizational success


Trait Theories of LeadershipTrait Theories of Leadership

Theories that consider personality, social, physical, or intellectual traits to differentiate leaders from nonleaders

Not very useful until matched with the Big Five Personality Framework

Leadership Traits– Extroversion

– Conscientiousness

– Openness

– Emotional Intelligence (Qualified)

Traits can predict leadership, but they are better at predicting leader emergence than effectiveness.


Behavioral Theories of LeadershipBehavioral Theories of Leadership

Theories proposing that specific behaviors differentiate leaders from nonleaders

Differences between theories of leadership:

– Trait theory: leadership is inherent, so we must identify the leader based on his or her traits

– Behavioral theory: leadership is a skill set and can be taught to anyone, so we must identify the proper behaviors to teach potential leaders


Important Behavioral StudiesImportant Behavioral Studies

Ohio State University – Found two key dimensions of leader behavior:

• Initiating structure – the defining and structuring of roles

• Consideration – job relationships that reflect trust and respect

• Both are important

University of Michigan– Also found two key dimensions of leader behavior:

• Employee-oriented – emphasizes interpersonal relationships and is the most powerful dimension

• Production-oriented – emphasizes the technical aspects of the job

– The dimensions of the two studies are very similar


Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid®Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid®

Draws on both studies to assess leadership style– “Concern for People” is

Consideration and Employee-Orientation

– “Concern for Production” is Initiating Structure and Production-Orientation

Style is determined by position on the graph


E X H I B I T 12-1E X H I B I T 12-1

Contingency TheoriesContingency Theories

While trait and behavior theories do help us understand leadership, an important component is missing: the environment in which the leader exists

Contingency Theory deals with this additional aspect of leadership effectiveness studies

Three key theories:– Fielder’s Model

– Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory

– Path-Goal Theory


Fiedler ModelFiedler Model

Effective group performance depends on the proper match between leadership style and the situation– Assumes that leadership style (based on orientation revealed

in LPC questionnaire) is fixed

Considers Three Situational Factors:– Leader-member relations: degree of confidence and trust in

the leader

– Task structure: degree of structure in the jobs

– Position power: leader’s ability to hire, fire, and reward

For effective leadership: must change to a leader who fits the situation or change the situational variables to fit the current leader


Graphic Representation of Fiedler’s ModelGraphic Representation of Fiedler’s Model


E X H I B I T 12-2E X H I B I T 12-2

Used to determine which type of leader

to use in a given

situation

Assessment of Fiedler’s ModelAssessment of Fiedler’s Model

Positives:– Considerable evidence supports the model, especially if the

original eight situations are grouped into three


Problems:– The logic behind the LPC

scale is not well understood

– LPC scores are not stable

– Contingency variables are complex and hard to determine

Fiedler’s Cognitive Resource TheoryFiedler’s Cognitive Resource Theory

A refinement of Fiedler’s original model:– Focuses on stress as the enemy of rationality and creator of

unfavorable conditions

– A leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her reaction to that stress

Research is supporting the theory.


Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational LeadershipHersey & Blanchard’s Situational Leadership

A model that focuses on follower “readiness”– Followers can accept or reject the leader– Effectiveness depends on the followers’ response to the

leader’s actions– “Readiness” is the extent to which people have the ability

and willingness to accomplish a specific task

A paternal model: – As the child matures, the adult releases more and more

control over the situation

– As the workers become more ready, the leader becomes more laissez-faire

An intuitive model that does not get much support from the research findings


House’s Path-Goal TheoryHouse’s Path-Goal Theory

Builds from the Ohio State studies and the expectancy theory of motivation

The Theory: – Leaders provide followers with information, support, and

resources to help them achieve their goals– Leaders help clarify the “path” to the worker’s goals– Leaders can display multiple leadership types

Four types of leaders:– Directive: focuses on the work to be done– Supportive: focuses on the well-being of the worker– Participative: consults with employees in decision-making– Achievement-Oriented: sets challenging goals


Path-Goal ModelPath-Goal Model

Two classes of contingency variables:– Environmental are outside of employee control– Subordinate factors are internal to employee

Mixed support in the research findings


E X H I B I T 12-4E X H I B I T 12-4

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) TheoryLeader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory

A response to the failing of contingency theories to account for followers and heterogeneous leadership approaches to individual workers

LMX Premise:– Because of time pressures, leaders form a special

relationship with a small group of followers: the “in-group”

– This in-group is trusted and gets more time and attention from the leader (more “exchanges”)

– All other followers are in the “out-group” and get less of the leader’s attention and tend to have formal relationships with the leader (fewer “exchanges”)

– Leaders pick group members early in the relationship


LMX ModelLMX Model

How groups are assigned is unclear– Follower characteristics determine group membership

Leaders control by keeping favorites close

Research has been generally supportive


E X H I B I T 12-3E X H I B I T 12-3

Yroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation ModelYroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model

How a leader makes decisions is as important as what is decided

Premise:– Leader behaviors must adjust to reflect task structure

– “Normative” model: tells leaders how participative to be in their decision-making of a decision tree

• Five leadership styles

• Twelve contingency variables

Research testing for both original and modified models has not been encouraging – Model is overly complex


E X H I B I T 12-5E X H I B I T 12-5

Global ImplicationsGlobal Implications

These leadership theories are primarily studied in English-speaking countries

GLOBE does have some country-specific insights– Brazilian teams prefer leaders who are high in consideration,

participative, and have high LPC scores

– French workers want a leader who is high on initiating structure and task-oriented

– Egyptian employees value team-oriented, participative leadership, while keeping a high-power distance

– Chinese workers may favor a moderately participative style

Leaders should take culture into account


Summary and Managerial ImplicationsSummary and Managerial Implications

Leadership is central to understanding group behavior as the leader provides the direction

Extroversion, conscientiousness, and openness all show consistent relationships to leadership

Behavioral approaches have narrowed leadership down into two usable dimensions

Need to take into account the situational variables, especially the impact of followers


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the

United States of America.

Copyright ©2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall